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#RiseOfTheBadger: An adventure into the world of video games & streaming

A year has come and gone since the 60 Days of Meat project, and yet here we are with little new content. My writing seems to have become stagnant. I wrote and published a book, started on an exciting blog, and then left you all high and dry while I disappeared off into the abyss of the big wide world. For this I must apologise. You see, whilst I do love writing, I also need something which I can write about with passion. I find I have to throw myself into something wholeheartedly, rather than attempt a half-arsed effort. It’s not until recent weeks that I have felt that internal fiery furnace begin to rage again and a new found obsession is beginning to surface, only it’s not really new found, it’s been right in front of my nose all this time.

Welcome To The World Of Video Gaming

I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. During these times, households across the world were being introduced to the magic that is home consoles. From ZX Spectrums, Sega master systems, megadrives, Nintendo entertainment systems, to Playstations and Xboxes; the world was witnessing the rise of the home console revolution. It was glorious; interactive adventures in your own home on your own television screen.

My first experience of this was on a friends’ ZX Spectrum. I remember spending hours at a time across the road at his house just sat next to him moving block characters around the screen. Manic Miner! Endless entertainment. Then, along came my very own Commodore 64, complete with a steel rodded twin button joystick which didn’t break upon the first use of “Daley Thompson’s Decathlon”.

As technology advanced, so did my own excitement at new products with greater graphical capabilities. The Commodore Amiga with “The Secret of Monkey Island” a story driven amusing adventure. Over the years it continued, consoles became the way of the future. Myself and most of my friends went down the route of Sega over Nintendo. Bonding over Alex the Kid on on the Master system. Speeding through levels as quick as possible as “Sonic The Hedgehog” on the mega drive.

There’s a day that sticks out in my mind from that era. If you were a “gamer” back then, you knew what “Mortal Monday” was. “Mortal Kombat” had taken the arcades by storm. A violent beat-em-up, with motion capture that wowed and shocked it’s players. It’s release on console stands out as the most memorable release in history for me. The build up to “Mortal Monday” was remarkable. If you had a copy of “Mortal Kombat”, everyone wanted to be at your house!

The video game industry gripped millions all over the world. It was another medium for home entertainment. For friends and families to get together in the living room and live out endless stories and adventures of numerous characters. My fascination only grew as I got older. And with the rise of the internet, gaming opened up a whole new dimension. From the confines of your house, you now had access to an unlimited player base all across the world and it grew, and it grew, and it grew. Now here we are today in a world where the video games industry has become a multi-billion pound industry, bigger than both the music and film industry combine. The possibilities are unbounded.

#RiseOfTheBadger

This is where my new idea for my latest blog comes in. Combining both my love of gaming and writing, I’m going on another little adventure into the world of video game streaming. This blog will follow my online persona “HoneyBadger” – an elite member of the “Forlorn Hope” gaming group – as he plays games and streams live to the world using Twitch.

From the beginnings of setting up a twitch channel, we will follow “Badger” on a magical journey. We will watch him as he experiences the up and downs in a world where thousands upon thousands are hoping to attain the ultimate dream of becoming the next twitch superstar.